A True Boyfriend
by HermioneRose
Summary: Gabriella and Troy are dating, and everything seems to be too perfect: until an old boyfriend of Gabriella's plans to drive them apart. Will they make up, or lose each other forever? Troyella.
1. Sunday Afternoons

**Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a Troyella fanfic, so I don't know how well it's going to go, but enjoy anyways!**

**Chapter One: Sunday Afternoons: Boyfriend Time**

What did Gabriella Montez thought of Sunday afternoons?

Nothing but swinging on a wooden swing in the backyard of your boyfriend's house.

That's what she thought of Sunday afternoons.

"It'd be nice if we could do this everyday, swinging on this swing.." Troy Bolton stated, while Gabriella gave him a smile.

"We can't, but I agree with you." Gabriella replied, clutching on to the metal rope tightly so she wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Yeah, I'd miss basketball practice, and you'd miss Decathlon.."

"I'd miss Kelsi, Taylor, and Haylie.."

"Plus, I'm not really on good terms with your mother right now." Troy said, and Gabriella's smile faltered.

Mrs. Montez didn't excately prove of Gabriella dating Troy, because she thought he'd "lead her on" and cheat on her behind her back. But, Gabriella protested that Troy was one of the greatest boyfriends she had ever had.

"Well, you know my mother. Back then, she had a boyfriend who was a basketball player, and he did alot of mean things to her. That's why she doesn't trust you fully." Gabriella explained, placing her head on Troy's shoulder.

Troy kissed her on the top of her head. "I'd never do that to you. Does she think every jock is like that?"

"Most likely. But--"

A sound was heard, and Gabriella lifted her head from Troy's shoulder to see that her cellphone was ringing.

She picked it up, and pressed "send".

"Hello?" she asked.

"Gabby? Where are you? I excepted you to be home right now!" her mother's voice broke the silence of the sunny day.

"Mother, I'm--"

"Your at Troy's house, I assume?" she asked.

"Yes." Gabriella said quietly, while Troy frowned.

"Well, you better come home now. I'm making supper."

"Okay, mom...I'll be right there."

She pressed "end" and she clamped her phone shut, while giving Troy a sad smile.

"My mother wants me to go...so, I guess I'll go.."

She was about to get off when Troy took her hand, and pulled her back down on the swing, and kissed her cheek while she laughed.

"I'm serious, Troy!" Gabriella replied, and Troy pulled back, a grin appearing on his face.

"Really? I thought you were joking." he said, and Gabriella grinned when she got up.

"I'm not joking. I really need to go, otherwise, I won't be able to see you untill I'm thirty."

Troy looked at her.

"I can wait untill then." he stated, and Gabriella shook her head, smiling.

"Seeyou at school." she replied, and picked up her backpack. As she headed towards her car, she realized she couldn't have made this life of hers better.

She turned on the car, and suddenly, in a loud beat, a country song came on, and she almost burst out laughing. Of course! Haylie was switching gears with music, so she decided on country, which wasn't going over well with the guys, but Gabriella thought it was cute. Little miss country girl!

"Ain't that bit loud?" Troy asked, and Gabriella shook her head, turning the volume down.

"No. Before I got here, I was dropping off Haylie at her house."

Troy nodded.

"Ah, little miss country. How is Ryan taking it that his girlfriend is going country?"

"Oh, he's adjusting. He thinks it's cute, though."

Troy laughed.

"Well, okay. Because Ryan doesn't seem like a country boy to me."

Gabriella smirked, and pictured Ryan in overalls, and when she did, she burst out laughing.

Well, that must have been a very funny picture!

When she got home, she called, "Mom?"

"In the kitchen!"

Gabriella went into the kitchen, and saw her mother preparing supper, and she smiled.

"Did you have a good time studying at the library, Gabby?" she asked.

"Of course. I always do."

"And how is Troy?" she asked.

Dreamy as usual, but she didn't say that to her mother.

"Good." Gabriella stated, as she got out plates, glasses, and silverware.

"That's good."

As she walked out the door, Gabriella thought she saw her mother smirk, and that worried her for just one second.

What was her mother up to?


	2. Guys Have Problems Too

**Author's Note: Here's chapter two! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two: Guys Have Problems Too**

Chad Danforth came by later to shoot hoops and to just hang out.

Supposely, Troy learned that Chad had homework, but Chad never really seemed to want to do it, unless Taylor was involved, which she always was, but for tonight, it was just Chad and Troy.

See, Chad wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and how he manages a C+ (the usual grade to stay on any sports team at East High) was beyond Troy.

While Chad made some shots, Troy sat down on the cool gravel driveway, watching his curly-haired friend with a smile on his face. Just like Troy, Chad grew up with a basketball obsessed father, but Chad's dad wasn't the coach of the East High's Wildcats. That would be Troy's dad, Jack Bolton.

"Hey, did you know Gabriella's mom doesn't approve of me?" Troy asked, while the sound of the sound of the _swoosh_ of the net blocked out his question.

Chad smirked, and bounced the orange and black ball his way.

"Dude, everyone knows your the golden boy of tomorrow! Every parent adores you! How can Mrs. Montez not see that?"

Troy shrugged.

"Gabby says it had to do something with a boyfriend of hers who was a basketball player, and did some mean things to her, so now she thinks I'm going to do the same thing to Gabriella, which I won't." Troy explained.

"Wow...I'd never seen a parent talk bad about you, Troy, especially if it's your girlfriend's mother." Chad explained.

"Well, start beliving it." Troy said as he grabbed the ball, and got up, brushing past Chad so he could get to the basketball hoop. He made sure he was in position, and shot the ball into the net with a swoosh, and turned to Chad with a frown on his face.

"Dude, it's okay if Mrs. Montez doesn't like you right away. Taylor's father didn't excately like me at first, but now were buddies." Chad commented.

"Chad, it isn't going to be like that. Mrs. Montez made up her mind about me...she thinks I'm a creep." Troy stated.

"Troy, I know you. Your not a creep, or won't do anything to hurt Gabriella. That's a fact." Chad responded.

"I know, but it bugs me. What if she tells Gabriella, and then Gabriella won't trust me anymore?" Troy asked, and Chad shook his head of curls.

"Gabriella will trust you. Remember junior year? She fully trusted you then...even you did make a few mistakes." Chad said, probably prefering to the time when Chad, Taylor, the Decalthon team, and the basketball team tried to break up Troy and Gabriella.

"Yeah. Right." Troy responded, dribbling the ball, and shooting it into the hoop.

Chad sighed, and decided to give it another try.

"I'm serious. Anyone could trust you, including your own girlfriend. Besides your family, your girlfriend should be able to trust you. Don't let it get over your head about what Gabriella's mother thinks of you, just trust Gabriella. Sooner or later, Mrs. Montez will soon realize that your perfect for your daughter."

Troy looked at him, wondering how Chad got so wise. Usually, Chad was...well, not smart, and just Chad-ish, most of the time.

"Dude." Troy muttered, and Chad grinned.

"Don't ask, okay? I've hung around Haylie and Taylor too long to give out my own advice." Chad responded, and Troy laughed.

"Well, it's working, sort of." Troy replied.

Once Chad had gone home, Troy tried to start his homework, but he couldn't. Chad's "wise" advice was stuck in his head, and he couldn't get it out.

Ain't that a surprise? Something Chad had said worked!


	3. Mom Spills The Beans

**Author's Note: Here's chapter three! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Mom Spills The Beans**

"Ooo! This is my favorite song!" Haylie explained,

Gabriella laughed as the blonde leaned forward in her seat, and turned up the volume on the radio.

"Whatever happened to pop-rock?" Gabriella asked.

"It's still my favorite...I'm just testing different music." Haylie replied.

Having a musical boyfriend probably made her do this, but Gabriella had been Haylie's best friend for so long, it seemed almost natural to understand the girl's crazy antics.

"I see...um, did Ryan have anything to do with this testing idea?" Gabriella asked as she pulled up into the driveway of the Montez house.

"No. I was the one who brought it up. He thought it was a good idea, though." Haylie replied as she and Gabriella went inside the house. The house was warm, even though it was warm outside, but Gabriella didn't mind. Her mother was always cooking something or another.

"That's good, though." Gabriella said as they walked into her room, and sat their backpacks on the floor.

"I heard that your mother doesn't really like Troy that much." Haylie stated, as she grabbed her science, and opened it up, and Gabriella did the same.

"She kind of likes him, but it's just the way he presents himself to her. She thinks all basketball players are cheaters, and he thinks he'll cheat behind my back." Gabriella told her, and Haylie widen her eyes.

"Troy would never do that!" she explained.

"I tried telling her that, but she wouldn't listen. She'd neither block me out, or change the subject. It's like she doesn't want to listen." Gabriella replied.

Haylie shook her head.

"That's really sad, Gabby. And i mean it." she replied.

"Thanks, Haylie, but--"

That's when her mother poked her head inside the room.

"Oh, Gabriella, your home...hello, Haylie. How are you?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Just fine, Mrs. Montez." Haylie replied.

"Good, good...oh, before I forget. I arranged a playdate for you, Gabriella. With an old boyfriend of yours from San Diego. Mario Johnson, I think it was." Mrs. Montez said, and Gabriella and Haylie looked at each other.

"Oh...that's great, mom. When is he coming?" Gabriella asked.

"He said he'd be down next week, I think. Oh, yes! Next Monday." Mrs. Montez stated, nodding her head, and Gabriella frowned.

"Mom, I have plans with Troy that night! I can't possibly--"

"Gabriella! This is your chance to reconnect with the people you left behind..not hang out with that basketball player." Mrs. Montez stated, and she flounced out of the room.

Gabriella or Haylie didn't say anything for awhile, and Gabriella broke the silence by shaking her head.

"I can't believe it! She never asked me!" Gabriella said.

"That's what parents do. They always do stuff without your permission." Haylie replied.

"Not my mother. My mother askes before she does something. This is totally unlike her." Gabriella reminded Haylie.

"Well, that's all I can say." Haylie explained.

Gabriella thought about all the visitors that came to East High, and made a whirlwind of trouble: Alyssa and Demtiri were the two of them, and they caused drama between Chad and Taylor, and Ryan and Haylie. She wondered if it'd be the same between her and Troy.

That's when Gabriella frowned.

What if she and Troy broke up because of Mario?


	4. The News

**Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Four: The News**

During homeroom that following morning, Troy sat down in his normal seat, which was by Gabriella, and gave her a smile.

"Hey." he whispered, and Gabriella gave him a smile back.

"Hey." she replied.

"So, listen, I was thinking for Monday--" Troy started, but he stopped when he realized that Gabriella frowned at the word Monday.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Troy...my mom says I have to spend time with a friend who's coming Monday night. We can't have our date that night." Gabriella responded.

"Oh, okay, well, how about Tuesday? I don't have anything going on, and--"

Gabriella shook her head.

"No. Troy, as along as my friend is here, we can't hang out. My mom says so." she said.

"Gabriella--"

Gabriella picked her stuff up, and moved towards a seat vacant that was near Taylor, and sat down.

Chad joined him soon after she had left.

"Wow, that must be the mother of all rejection lines!" he replied, and Troy shook his head.

"It's not funny. We planed that date long before her mother arranged for her friend to come. Now it's not going to happen."

"There'll be other chances, Troy. It's just a Monday night. It's not like it's anything special." Chad reminded him, and Troy nodded, but he still felt abit upset. Yes, nothing was planned on that night, but Troy just wanted to simply hang out with Gabriella, and not worry about anything.

Haylie came by just then, and she looked at Troy.

"What's wrong?" she asked Chad.

"Gabriella rejected him for Monday night." Chad told her simply.

Haylie glanced at Troy.

"Oh, yeah. She told me about that...Mario Johnson, one of her friends from San Diego, is coming down here on Monday."

Troy and Chad looked at her as if she made it up, but Troy knew Haylie or Gabriella wouldn't lie to him.

"Mario..isn't that a Mario Brothers character?" Chad asked, and he grinned.

"Chad." Haylie said warningly, and Troy couldn't help but to grin himself.

"No, seriously. Isn't it?" Chad asked, and Haylie shook her head.

"What else do you know?" Troy asked.

"I asked, but Gabriella wouldn't tell me." Haylie replied, and Troy was surprised. Normally, Gabriella told everything to her three best friends, and that was no lie.

Troy looked worried, and Haylie smiled.

"Don't worry, Troy. I'm sure Gabriella and Mario are just friends. It's been awhile since they last saw each other, I'm sure."

Her words didn't make Troy feel any better. Old friends lean towards rekindling romances, and Troy didn't need to see Gabriella rekindling anything but a friendship with Mario, if that was possible.

Was Troy Bolton, the Wildcat basketball star...jealous?

Oh, no. Of course not! He barely knew the guy, and he was already jealous?

After homeroom was over, Troy caught up with Gabriella, and thankfully she was alone.

"Hey, Gabriella! Wait up!" Troy called, and Gabriella turned around.

"Look, Troy, I know you really wanted to hang out on Monday, but I can't, and--"

Troy grabbed her hand, and smiled. "Gabriella, it's okay. I'm fine with it. Hang out with your friend."

She smiled.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure."

Now, is that the truth, or a bold-faced lie?


	5. A New Student

**Author's Note: Here's chapter five! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: A New Guy**

"A new student is here!"

And with that news, noone got anything good out of it.

"Sharpay, the last time a new student arrived, it nearly cost a life!" Taylor explained, and Gabriella remembered Demtiri Sanchez, the handsome, yet similar version of Chad.

Sharpay rosed an eyebrow at her, but she quickly shook her head.

"Well, this new guy is different." she replied.

"How?" Haylie asked.

Everyone who heard her snickered, and Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"For one thing, let's just say it's abit interesting, considering you know him, Gabriella." she stated, and Gabriella blushed, and gazed down at her desk.

"Wait a minute, how could you have known that Mario is coming here?" Taylor asked.

"My mother, silly. She hears everything, and she tells me." Sharpay replied simply, as if that was the only anwser she could give.

When information reaches Sharpay, you can only hope she won't tell the school.

"Don't make a scheme out of it." Taylor warned.

Sharpay widen her eyes, and she smiled.

"I'd never do that! Why would you think I'd do that?" she asked.

"You want Troy and Gabriella to break up." Haylie stated.

"No, you _always_ want Troy and Gabriella to break up." Taylor corrected, and Sharpay's innocent act turned sour.

"It's not my fault they are always falling apart sometime or another, is it?" she asked.

"Remember junior year? The winter musical?"

"Well--"

The bell cut her off, and Sharpay left in a mad huff.

Everyone looked up to see Mrs. Zismar open the door, and a guy following her, and Gabriella blushed even more, because she knew it was Mario.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had to fetch a new student. His name is Mario Johnson, and he'll be joining us today." she explained, and look at Mario, who gazed at the class with interest, and when his eyes fell on Gabriella, he smiled.

Mario was her age, and he had black, floppy hair that fell into his eyes, and he had the same shade of eyes, only they were abit darker than his hair. He also slightly taller than her, which came in handy for Gabriella at the time.

"You sit anywhere you like for the time being, Mario, and then I'll seat you afterwards."

_Don't sit near me!_ Gabriella thought, but Mario must have not gotten her thought wave, because he walked towards her, and smiled.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked.

Gabriella wanted to say no, but she wasn't like Sharpay. Instead, she gave him a smile back, and said, "Sure."

She looked at Taylor, and Taylor gave her a helpless shrug, while Haylie and Kelsi both gave her concerned looks.

After class was over, Gabriella rushed out the classroom, not waiting for any of her friends or Troy.

"Gabby!"

Gabriella twirled around to see Mario walking behind her, and she stopped, waiting for him to catch up.

"Why did you run off like that? I wanted to walk with you." Mario explained.

"Oh...I want to get to class early." Gabriella stated.

"So your still a nerdette, huh? Figures." Mario replied, and Gabriella felt herself blush.

"Yeah." Gabriella said.

"But, it's cool, though." Mario explained as they came to her locker.

As she opened her locker, Mario asked, "So, what are we going to do tonight?"

"I don't know. We'll have to see." Gabriella said as she put her books away, and got out her afternoon books.

What did she get herself into?


	6. Monday Night

**Author's Note: I'm seriously not a Troypay fan, but I decided that Troy could have a little crush on Sharpay, even though this story is all about Troyella. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Six: Monday Night**

"Troy! Dude!"

Troy snapped out his daydream to look at his friends, who were down in his basement, watching a pretaped basketball game.

But, now their eyes weren't focused on the game anymore, their eyes were on Troy, who seemed to have zoned out for the last five minutes.

"What is wrong with you?" Chad asked.

"It's nothing...forget about it." Troy told him.

"No, were not going to forget about it. When you zone out like that, it means something is seriously up." Chad replied, and Troy thought Chad was sounding like Taylor.

So maybe hanging out Taylor was a bad thing?

Or a good thing?

"I just don't like the idea of Gabriella hanging out with Mario. What if he does something to her?" Troy asked.

"You worry too much, you know that?" Chad asked.

"Well, so do you Chad. Remember when Demtiri came, and--" Zeke said, but he got a glare from him, and Zeke closed his mouth.

Troy shook his head.

"I have to worry about her, Chad. What if she gets hurt, and she won't want to date me because she thinks I might do the same thing to her as well?" Troy asked, and the guys nodded in agreement.

"I guess you got me there. Sorry." Chad replied.

Troy gave the frizzy-haired boy a smile.

"It's alright. You were probably worried when Demtiri came and all."

"Dude, I wasn't just worried. What Demtiri did to Taylor wasn't right, and I got mad for it. So I can see where you are coming from." Chad explained.

"Same here with Kelsi. I can see where guys would take advantage of her because she's so quiet." Jason replied, popping into the conversation.

Zeke, being girlfriendless, prompted, "If anyone wanted to hurt Sharpay, they had to go through me!"

It was silent untill Troy, Chad, and Jason started to crack up, and Zeke looked at them.

"What?" he asked, getting all defensive. "I would fight for her!"

"Yeah, but then she would slash out at you for trying! I swear, she could defend herself, Zeke. She doesn't need a boyfriend." Chad said.

"A guy can dream, can't he? I've been after her since we were old enough to like girls."

This was true. Sharpay had Zeke as a stalker probably since the start of sixth grade.

"No, man. You have to throw away that dream sometime. Sharpay's never going to look at you. Ever." Jason pointed out.

"If Haylie has Ryan, why can't I have Sharpay?" Zeke asked.

"Because Ryan actually liked Haylie from the get-go. Sharpay never liked you." Chad stated, and Troy started to feel sorry for his friend. Even if Zeke may act abit stalkerish, he was seriously a nice guy.

"Guys, cut Zeke some slack, okay? We all had crushes on Sharpay one way or another, right?" Troy asked.

They just looked at him, their mouths hanging open.

"Dude...you liked _Sharpay_?" Chad asked.

"Well...yeah. Didn't every guy?" Troy asked.

"This isn't going to go over well with Gabriella, you know that, right?" Jason asked.

"Guys, it was just a crush, okay? I'm over it, and Gabriella is the one I want." Troy stated, but the looks the guys gave him didn't convince him that they believed him.

"Troy, Sharpay liked you...like, alot. Like Zeke, only, it's far worse. If she knew you had a crush on her, she'd go crazy." Chad objected.

"Well, she isn't going to find out, because you aren't going to tell her. Actually, tell noone. Even if Taylor, Kelsi, and Haylie aren't gossips, you can't be too careful. And not to Gabriella. Especially not Gabriella." Troy replied.

"Right, we get it. We won't tell." Chad stated, rolling his eyes.

"Good." Troy replied, fixing his eyes on the game, wondering if he made the right choice.


	7. Mario's Date And Other Problems

**Author's Note: Here's chapter seven! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven: Mario's Date And Other Problems**

"Tell me...why are we taking Ryan and Haylie's shift for baby-sitting Lilly again?" Troy asked as he drove.

"Because Ryan called me saying he had something speical planned for Haylie, and that's when I called you--"

"And I said yes." Troy finished, while Gabriella giggled.

"Oh, come on! You know you love Lilly! Everyone does!"

Excepf for Sharpay, but Ryan didn't need to admit that.

"Of course I do. Why else would I sent her golf balls as a present?" Troy asked as they stopped at the small white house with the black shutters.

Gabriella got out of Troy's car, and waited for him to get out of the driver's seat, and followed behind her.

What Ryan didn't tell them that Lilly had a thing for knocking down her most favorite guys to the ground.

"Troy! Gabriella!" Lilly annouced while Troy layed flat on the ground, grinning like a madman, and Gabriella held back a laugh.

"Oh, no, no! Lilly, get off of Troy this instance!" Mrs. Jacobs stated, watching the whole scene.

"It's okay, Mrs. Jacobs. Really." Troy replied, placing Lilly off of him so he could get up, and Gabriella pulled him up, and then Troy picked up Lilly.

"Come in, while I finish getting ready." Mrs. Jacobs said, ushering the two teenagers inside.

Once inside, Troy placed down Lilly, and Lilly ran into the livingroom, while Gabriella looked around.

To say the least, she hadn't been to the Jacobs household before, and Haylie said it had some kind of charm to it. When your inside, you couldn't but feel...cozy.

Finally, Mrs. Jacobs came down the stairs.

"So, Haylie already called me, and said she and Ryan couldn't make it, so I'm fine with you two, seeing you are their friends."

"You can totally trust us, Mrs. Jacobs. We'll make sure Lilly is well-taken care of." Gabriella promised, and that made Mrs. Jacobs smile.

"Well, then. I'm off to a meeting. Make sure Lilly is fed, and doesn't get hurt.."

Troy and Gabriella glanced at each other and smiled. Haylie already told them Mrs. Jacobs' directions, which were repeated everytime.

"Don't worry. We'll have her fed, and in bed by the time you get back. And I've worked with her, remember? I made sure she wasn't injured on the golf course." Troy stated, and Gabriella saw him grimance, and she tried not to laugh.

"Oh, yes. Of course...well, I'm off then. 'Bye, Lilly! Be good to Troy and Gabriella, okay?" Mrs. Jacobs shouted.

"Okay!" Lilly stated.

Once the door slammed, Lilly came flouncing back to where Troy and Gabriella were.

"Come on! I wanna practice my swings!" she stated, grabbing hold of their hands.

"Swings...you mean, you want to practice your putting?" Gabriella asked, and she thought back to the time when she, Haylie, Taylor, and Lilly watched the Wildcats, including Ryan, play baseball, so she assumed Lilly gotten mixed up with 'swinging' and 'putting'.

"Yeah! Troy gave me golf clubs, and he and Ryan taught me how to golf!" Lilly nodded, and Gabriella gave Troy a grin.

"Oh, did they?" she asked, and Troy blushed.

"Yeah!"

Lilly led them to the basement, where it was set up like a mini golf course: and set up for someone like Lilly, too.

While they watched Lilly practice her putting, Gabriella asked, "So, how was your Monday night?"

"Oh...good. I hung out with the guys...how was yours?" he asked.

For a moment, Gabriella didn't know how to reply to his question.

Of course, the was that she and Mario went to dinner, and then came back to her house to talk, but Gabriella knew there were bound to be loopholes.

"Um...it was good." Gabriella stated.

She saw Troy raise an eyebrow as Lilly yelled, "Four!"

"Gabby, is something wrong?" he asked, and she knew when he called her "Gabby" and not Gabriella, she knew he was being very concerned.

"No! We just had dinner, and.."

But, Gabriella trailed off, and she knew she left out a very important detail.

Troy saw this, and asked, "What happened on your date, Gabby?"

Gabriella blushed, and she flashed back to the part where Mario told her that he still had feelings for her.

"Well...nothing bad. Just...he still likes me."

"Gabby, that is bad!" Troy stated, and Gabriella felt a lump form in her throat, and she choked out, "I know..."

Troy sighed, but drew her closer to him.

"He probably doesn't like you. He only likes you because he's jealous you are taken. Don't get it over your head." Troy whispered, and Gabriella buried her head in his shoulder, wondering if that was true.


	8. The Secret Is Out

**Author's Note: Here's chapter eight! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: The Secret Is Out**

As Monday rolled around, Troy was worried about Gabriella even more, even though he shouldn't be, but is.

"I'm sure Mario just want to cause trouble." Chad stated, and Troy looked at him.

He barely said two words to guy! How could he make Troy get into trouble?

"Chad, I never held a single conversation with Mario! How could he be out to get me?" Troy asked, and in typically Chad fashion, Chad shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. That's just what I think." Chad said, and Troy was about to reply with Haylie, Taylor, and Ryan came up to them.

"Troy, don't mad or anything..." Haylie told him nervously, and Troy looked at her.

"Why would I get mad?" he asked.

"Well..." Haylie stated, but Ryan finished for her.

"By accident, someone spilled that you had a crush on Sharpay, and..."

Suddenly, Chad had Ryan pinned to a locker, while Chad said, "It wasn't you, was it?"

"Easy, Chad. Ryan wasn't even at my house, remember?" Troy asked, and got the frizzy-haired boy off of the blonde.

"Okay, so if it wasn't Ryan, who was it?" Chad asked.

"Well, Zeke, Jason, and you were at Troy's house, right? Then it couldn't have been you." Taylor stated.

"Yeah, and I made you guys swear not to tell anyone...then it had to be someone who wasn't at my house," Troy added, and when Chad eyed Ryan for the second time, Troy only shook his head.

"Believe me, Chad, it's not Ryan." he stated.

"Troy, before you figure that out, make sure you tell Sharpay that you didn't really mean it, or she will tell Gabriella." Haylie warned him.

"Yeah...of course." Troy stated, frowning.

How will he keep this secret from reaching Gabriella?

One solution: tell Sharpay to keep her mouth shut, of course.

Before Troy was ready to do that, he ran into Mario, of all people.

"Hey...Mario." Troy said, abit side-tracked.

"Troy." Mario greeted him, and Troy frowned at his lack of tone.

"What's up?" Troy asked.

"Well, what's up with you? I heard you got a crush on the drama queen." Mario stated.

"That's not true! I did, but I don't anymore!" Troy explained.

"Face it, Troy. Once Gabriella hears about that, she'll think twice about dating you, and she might listen to her mother abit more closely. More importantly, she'll turn to me when things get ugly." Mario replied.

"She knows I'll never do that to her!" Troy stated.

"Now your feeding her lies? What kind of boyfriend are you Troy?" Mario asked mockly, and Troy felt like what Chad did to Ryan earlier: pin him against a locker, no less, but Troy wasn't the type of guy who would do that, though.

"I'm not lying to her!" Troy explained, anger raising to his face.

"You are, and your sharing secrets behind her back. Ones that..I don't know...should have been shared when you two are together?" Mario asked, and Troy shook his head.

"I didn't want her to worry." Troy said weakly, but Mario looked at him.

"It's better if she knows, Troy. No girl can stand a boyfriend cheating on them." Mario stated, and he walked away, leaving Troy with much more to say.


	9. The Cheatin' Kind

**Chapter Nine: The Cheatin' Kind**

"Gabriella, guess what!"

Gabriella wasn't in the mood for whatever Sharpay had to tell her, but as she looked at the blonde's sneering face, she realized she had to listen: or else.

"What, Sharpay?" Gabriella asked, and Sharpay's smile turned into a smile.

"I thought you'd knew by now! Troy likes someone else, and it's not you." Sharpay replied.

"What do you mean?" Gabriellas asked, feeling her heart skip a beat.

Troy couldn't like anyone else...could he?

"Well, I heard he liked a certain blonde...but, it's just a rumor, of course. It was probably in the past, but it is rather juicey, don't you think?" Sharpay asked, and Gabriella nodded.

"Of course." she stated.

Could the mysterious blonde be Sharpay? Because everyone knew that every boy had a crush on her, and that included Troy, wheather Gabriella wanted to believe it or not.

When Troy was alone, Gabriella asked him to meet her in the hall.

"What is it?" Troy asked, and Gabriella looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"I know this rather silly, but...I heard that you had a crush on Sharpay." Gabriella said, and Troy looked shocked, but the expression slowly faded away.

"I knew you'd find out sooner or later, I guess." Troy explained.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Gabriella asked, feeling abit hurt.

"It was in the past...way before you came. I didn't think it would matter." Troy said.

"Troy, I don't care if it was in the past or the future! All I care about is how you didn't tell me...I thought we were suppose to share everything." she replied.

"Maybe I don't have to share everything with you! Some things can be left private!" Troy commented.

"Then how come you shared with your friends? Are they just as important as me?" Gabriella explained.

"They led me right into the conversation, okay? And you are important..just..."

"Just not important to share that you had a crush on East High's resident drama queen. I get it." Gabriella said.

"Gabriella--" Troy said, but Gabriella shook her head.

"You can give Sharpay this...I'm sure she'll be thrilled." she stated, unhooking the _T_ necklace Troy had given her that previous summer.

Troy clasped the necklace in the center of his palm, and looked at her.

"Gabriella, it's just a crush. I never liked her...I only liked you." Troy said, reaching out to take her hand.

"Yeah, my mom's boyfriend probably said the same thing." Gabriella told him rather coldly, and Troy's hand stopped, and he frowned.

"You...believe her?" he asked.

"Maybe I should start, shouldn't I?" Gabriella commented, and Troy shook his head, and was speechless.

"This is probably for the best, Troy...for now, anyways." Gabriella said.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked.

"I'm sure." Gabriella said quietly, and headed back into the classroom, so she couldn't see Troy's face.


	10. The SecretKeeper

**Author's Note: Here's chapter ten! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten: The SecretKeeper**

"Dude, you got to snap out of it!" Chad stated, and to prove his point, he snapped his fingers infront of Troy's face, and Troy shook his head, and gazed down at the T necklace, which stared right back at him.

It was last hour, and it seemed that Troy gotten himself into a trance after what happened between him and Gabriella. Troy just couldn't believe she broke up him over a stupid crush. Troy looked at Chad, and sighed.

"How can I?" he asked.

"You and Gabriella always make up, right? So it's no big deal." Chad stated.

Yeah, well, it looks like Troy and Gabriella won't make up anytime soon.

"I guess." Troy stated, and the guys sighed.

After the final bell had rang, Troy dashed out as fast as he could, avoiding looks from curious eyes.

"Troy!"

Troy turned around to find Sharpay standing behind him. Sharpay was the last person he wanted to see, after his break-up with Gabriella.

"Not right now, Sharpay.." Troy said, and for the first time ever in the history of East High, Sharpay's face clouded with concern, and there wasn't a trace of mean on her face. For a minute, Troy was abit freaked out, but he remembered something Gabriella had told him: even the evilest people had hearts.

"Troy, I know who spread that rumor." Sharpay replied.

"Let me guess: Ryan?" Troy asked, using Chad's ever so favorite guess at the moment.

Sharpay licked her glossed lips, and shook her head.

"No. My brother isn't that heartless, Troy. Even for him, that'd be the worst crime to ever commit." she explained, and Troy just looked at her.

"Then who?" Troy asked.

"Who else? Mario. No guy can stand his ex-girlfriend be seen with another guy, and that's how these things start." Sharpay replied.

Sharpay looked so out of character, that Troy felt his mouth hung open abit.

Didn't she just realize that she could have him? After all, wasn't this her dream to finally be with him?

Sharpay rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't look at me stupid, Troy. Even I can't stand and watch someone break the famous super-couple up. Besides, I'll get another chance...someday." she said, giving him a smile, but before she walked away, Troy stopped her.

"Wait..Sharpay, do you know where Mario is now?"

"I think he's in Miss Darbus' room." Sharpay said.

"Okay. Great. Thanks!" Troy explained, and disappeared down the hallway.

When he reached his destination, he knew Sharpay was right: Sitting in one of the desks was Mario, and he was working away at something.

Troy casually walked into the classroom, and looked at him.

"Hey." he said, as casually as he could.

Mario looked up from whatever he was doing, and rolled his eyes.

"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" Mario snapped, and Troy raised an eyebrow.

This was the guy that Gabriella had fallen in love with before him?

"Of course you have...so, I heard you were the one that spread that rumor about me and Sharpay." Troy stated.

"So what if I did? It gets you off my back, as well as Gabriella's. Basketball players like you shouldn't have to deal with girls like her, right? All your going to do is break her heart anyways."

Troy felt his fists clutch, and he looked at Mario.

"Unfortunately, that's not me. You and her mother can think what you want, but I'd never break her heart."

"Isn't that what you jocks do? Break innocent girls' hearts?" Mario asked.

"Not really. My parents raised me to be a gentleman. And not every jock is a jerk, you know." Troy stated.

Then Troy realized something: Mario didn't try to break up Troy and Gabriella for any other reason than the fact that he was jealous. Of their relationship, the relationship that he and Gabriella once had at some point.

"Your jealous, aren't you?" Troy asked, his anger draining away.

"So what? It's not like I have any chance with her anyway. If you really want to get back together with her, fine by me." Mario stated, grabbing his piece of paper, and brushed past Troy.

And at all that day, Troy finally smiled.


	11. With All My Heart

**Chapter Eleven: With All My Heart**

After what had happened with Troy, Gabriella felt she didn't want to talk to anyone. If she did, she'd end up crying her eyes out, and she had to admit: she already looked like a mess.

"This is insane! I shouldn't be upset!" she said to noone in particular, but the truth was, she was. She didn't think Troy would like anyone else, but she proved herself wrong: he was a guy, and guys get crushes on the most beautiful girls at their school, even they did have a girlfriend that was very loyal to them.

"Gabby?" her mother asked through the closed door.

"Mom, I told you! I don't want to talk about it!" Gabriella stated.

"But, one of your friends is here! Troy." Mrs. Montez explained, and Gabriella's eyes shot open.

Oh, no.

Not Troy!

"No, I don't want to see him!" she called, but Troy's voice was heard.

"Too late, I'm coming in!" he stated, and he opened the closed door, and Gabriella hid her face under the pillow so he couldn't see what a wreck she had become.

Troy frowned when he saw her.

"Come on, Gabriella. I just want to talk." he stated, going over to where she was.

That famous word, _talk_. Whenever someone says that, it ment really bad things, and Gabriella was scared that Troy would break up with her.

"Well, I don't." Gabriella muttered, and Troy smiled at her.

"I know you do." he explained.

"Shouldn't you be with your new girlfriend, Sharpay?" Gabriella asked.

That's when Troy grinned.

"Uh, no. I got a girlfriend, remember? Or should I say, ex-girlfriend?" he asked, and Gabriella fought the urge to smile, but it was very hard to do.

"You don't want to be with me...after I said those things to you." Gabriella replied, lifting the pillow down so he could see her.

"I always want to be you! So we went through a rought patch...isn't that what couples go through?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded, and Troy smiled softly.

"Of course." Gabriella said softly, and Troy leaned over, and lifted her chin up she was looking straight at him.

"I will always like you, Gabriella. No other girl can compare to you."

At last, Gabriella smiled.

"Really?"

Troy nodded.

"Why else would would I sang with you on New Year Eve last year?"

"Because they couldn't find a better singer?" Gabriella replied, and Troy laughed.

"Well, no. I sang with you because I liked you from the very beginning. You never like any of those other girls at that party." Troy said, and Gabriella vaguely remembered herself as a bookworm, bending over a book.

"I guess not." she agreed.

Troy reached down in her pocket, and pulled out the T necklace.

"If you forgive me, will you be my girlfriend again?" Troy asked, holding out the necklace.

Gabriella glanced down at it without blinking.

WHat if this happns again?

Will she trust Troy next time?

"What if it happens again?" she asked, and Troy looked at her.

"I promise it won't. I will make sure none of it happens again." he pleaded, and Gabriella smiled.

"Then your forgiven." she stated, and Troy went to help her place on the necklace.

The necklace was cold against her skin, and Gabriella shivered. It felt weird with the necklace back on, and she turned so she was leaning against Troy's chest.

"It feels weird." she whispered.

"Why is that?" Troy asked.

"Because it's been awhile." Gabriella muttered.

Troy kissed the top of her head, and sighed.

"Very...Everything fell apart when we broke up." Troy stated.

"But, were back together now, right?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded as he pulled away from her as he got up from the bed, and smiled.

"Of course. And I was never going to give that necklace to Sharpay. It was only ment for you, you know."

Gabriella nodded as she returned his smile.

"I know." Gabriella replied.

She grinned as she thought of something: tomorrow was Sunday, the usual day that she and Troy spent their afternoons together.

"Hey, Troy?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Troy said.

"Do you want to spend the afternoon together tomorrow? Unless you have big plans with your friends, and..."

"Gabriella, I wouldn't miss Sundays for the world!" he explained, and Gabriella laughed.

"Good." she replied.


	12. Fall Means Something New

**Author's Note: Here's the final chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve: Fall Means Something New**

"Ooof!"

Troy was tackled to the ground of leaves, and Troy gazed up to see Gabriella gazing down at him.

It was Sunday afternoon, and Troy was having a blast with Gabriella, tackling her in the piles of leaves that they had made. So far, Gabriella was beating him.

"What did I ever do to you?" Troy asked, and Gabriella giggled.

"What? Can't I pin you to the ground?" she asked, and Troy smiled at her.

"Maybe.." Troy explained, but he slowly got up, and pinned her to the ground with all his might, and she laughed.

"Wow, how did you get so strong?" she teased, and Troy pretended to be hurt.

"Didn't you notice?" he asked, and that made Gabriella laugh even harder, and Troy grinned.

Troy leaned over, and kissed her forehead before getting off her, and just sitting down in the leaves, gazing upwards.

The day was brought with sunshine and blue skies: a pefect Sunday afternoon, in Troy's opinion.

Gabriella joined him a few moments later, resting her head on his shoulder, and Troy chuckled when he realized she had a few leaves stuck in her hair.

"Wow, aren't we the Leave Monster?" he asked, picking a few out of her hair, but leaving some in.

"Yeah, it's my costume for Halloween. But, I think Lilly would cuter in it though, don't you think?" Gabriella asked.

"Maybe, but your my Leave Monster." Troy stated, catching on to Gabriella's joke.

"So I've been told." Gabriella explained, and they both laughed, untill a sound cut them off.

The dreadful cellphone was ringing in Gabriella's coat pocket, and Gabriella shook her head.

"Mom." she replied, and Troy smiled.

Ever since Troy and Gabriella got back together, Mrs. Montez finally realized that Troy was right for Gabriella: it just took some convincing on both their parts.

_So, in a way, Chad was right.._Troy thought as he watched Gabriella talk to her mother on her cellphone.

"Alright, Mom. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you too." Gabriella stated, and she clamped her phone shut, and she smiled at Troy.

"Well, my mom wants me to come home, so I better go.."

Just as she was about to get up, Troy pulled her back down, and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Troy!" Gabriella playfully scowled before laughing herself, and returned his kiss.

"Hey, do you realize how long I've been waiting to do that again?" he asked as Gabriella got back up.

"Yeah, and I enjoyed every second of it." Gabriella said, and said her good-byes before getting into her car.

After she left, Troy just sat there, thinking. What would his life be without the friends he had or without Gabriella? It'd probably be very boring, and Troy would be the jerk that Mario had wanted him to be...right?

"Troy!"

Troy gazed up to see Chad grinning down at him.

"I'm taking a wild guess...neither Gabriella was here, or you wrestled with a really big dog."

Troy laughed as he got up.

"The big dog could have happened, but your first guess was right: Gabriella just left a few minutes ago."

Chad rolled his eyes as he picked up his basketball.

"Come on...I want to shoot some hoops before Taylor finds out I'm not studying."

Troy grinned.

"Sure thing, dude."


End file.
